Not just a dump

BY JASON DOM
WHEN the garbage collectors go around collecting rubbish from every household and in public areas and streets of Port Moresby, they dispose it all at Baruni.
In Port Moresby the rapid population growth due to urban drift and recent economic boom (due to oil, gas and developments) the levels of waste generated and its management are becoming a real concern for the government and it need proper actions to minimise related environmental and health risks.
Port Moresby has about 650,000 population and the figure keeps rising. The National Capital District Commission (NCDC) through their waste management systems, however, has allocated only Baruni as the dumping zone for all waste disposal.
In 2017, Baruni was the biggest dumping zone for all kinds of waste – organic materials, plastics, cardboards, you name. Nearly 3,000 tonnes of waste is received daily at the city’s landfill.
Baruni was the mountain of rubble and dirt, with thick clouds of dust and smoke rising from the giant waste dump. Scavengers wandered around the area picking up whatever could help them survive.
The practice of burning plastic wastes, organic and cardboard materials at the site has caused a huge pollution to the surrounding environment that has become a serious health and environmental concern to the public.
During a recent visit to the site with media colleagues and other visitors, consultant Naoki Takanashi of Goyu Eco Works Corporation Ltd (a Japanese self-carbonising charcoal maker), said they have conducted a feasibility survey at the Baruni disposal site in May this year.
“The survey was funded by Japanese International Corporation Agency (Jica) for realising recycling through waste treatment and carbonisation by Eco-Tan-Kun (a carbonization plant).
“Eco-Tan-Kun or carbonization plant was introduce and set up at the site in August 2018. We have succeeded at producing charcoal and vinegar from waste of coconut husks, coconut shells, cardboard and betel nut skins.
“Eco-Tan-Kun is one of Japanese innovative technology whose basic function is to convert organic substance or cardboard materials into carbon.
“It is also a stage in the charcoal making process; it is considered the most important step of all since it has such power to influence the whole process from the growing tree to the final distribution of charcoal to various sources,” Takanashi said.
During our site tour he said that carbonisation produced a high content of carbon monoxide which was poisonous when breathed but the tars and smoke produced from this carbonisation plant were not directly poisonous.
The Eco-Tan-Kun comprises a 450 litre vertical stainless steel jacketed mixing tank and weighs about three tonnes. It burns materials at temperatures ranging from 400 to 600 degrees Celcius, which ensures complete processing.
From wastes like betel nut skin, coconut husks and shells, the carbonisation plant produces charcoal and vinegar for agricultural and domestic purposes. The investment has brought with it employment opportunities for the surrounding communities as youths and women residing at the Baruni dump site have been engaged in collecting waste, assist in processing it as well as providing security.
Consultant Mitsuru Aotsu of Goyu Eco Works said the purpose of this project was to increase investment, especially in the agriculture sector by producing value-added products using charcoal and vinegar which constitute some of the purely organic materials. He said that the project would also assist government in reducing the cost of managing waste by keeping our towns and cities clean for the investors to do business as well as for the benefit of the public.
The National Capital District Commission has thanked Goyu Eco Works and Jica for the initiative to set up the carbonisation plant in Port Moresby. The city government spends millions of kina every year to control and dispose waste. The commission said this project would help in reducing the cost of managing waste and also create opportunities for the communities around Baruni.
The Goyu Eco Works revealed that products produced by the Eco-Tan-Kun carbonisation plant would be sent back to Japan for testing and analysis to determine the success of the project. The outcome of the tests will see the company going into full production and export of charcoal and vinegar to Japan in the near future.
Charcoal and vinegar can be used as fertilisers, sanitisation of bad odor and treating animal diseases.
Investing in such a carbonisation plant can bring the country a lot of benefits.